Tony Romo and CBS Part Ways: What Was Said and Who Calls the NFL Games Now
- 🔑 On Friday, October 2, 2026, CBS Sports and Tony Romo announced they had “mutually agreed to part ways” after nine years. Neither statement gave a reason for the split. It came about ten weeks after his July 23 arrest in Milwaukee and a month after his September 1 plea.
- J.J. Watt has partnered with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on the lead CBS NFL team since Week 1 of the 2026 season, after CBS put Romo on leave on July 31. CBS says Watt continues in that role “for the rest of the season.” Nothing has been announced about 2027.
- In his own statement, Romo said he would take a break to focus on his health and his family before moving on to his next opportunity. No new job has been announced, and the statement did not name one or give a timeline.
- On September 1, 2026, Romo pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI from his July 23 stop in Milwaukee. In a statement that day he called it a “civil offense,” which matches Wisconsin law treating a first OWI as civil. Court-ordered penalties include a six-month license revocation, an ignition interlock device and alcohol assessment.
- Neither CBS nor Romo has disclosed financial terms of the separation. Some outlets have reported contract values and a settlement, but those figures come from media reports rather than from either party, so we do not repeat them here.
CBS Sports and Tony Romo announced on Friday, October 2, 2026, that they have mutually agreed to part ways, and J.J. Watt remains CBS’s lead NFL analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. Romo, 46, had been the network’s lead NFL analyst since 2017 and had been on leave since July 31, 2026. Neither side gave a reason for the separation, so this report sticks to what the statements and public records say.
What did CBS Sports and Tony Romo say?
Both sides called the separation mutual, thanked each other and gave no reason for it. In CBS’s statement, posted on its own site at 12:46 pm ET on October 2, 2026, the network says the two “have mutually agreed to part ways” and thanks Romo for his contributions over nine years. Romo’s statement says he is proud of what he accomplished at CBS Sports and will use the time “to take a break, something I’ve never done before,” and focus on his health and family before “moving on to my next opportunity.”
Who is calling NFL games for CBS now?
J.J. Watt is the lead analyst, paired with Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, and CBS says he continues in that role for the rest of the season. He has held the job since Week 1 of 2026. CBS named him when it put Romo on leave on July 31. According to reports at the time, Watt joined CBS in 2023 as a studio analyst and moved into a game booth in 2025, and Ross Tucker was moved up to work with Ian Eagle on the No. 2 team this season. CBS said all other teams remain the same.
| Crew | Booth | Sideline |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt | Tracy Wolfson |
| No. 2 | Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker | Evan Washburn |
Crews are as stated by CBS and listed in published Week 4 announcer schedules. For Sunday, October 4, 2026, those schedules have Nantz, Watt and Wolfson on Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 pm ET), the lead crew’s first game since the announcement. Assignments can change.
What led up to the announcement?
The separation came about ten weeks after Romo’s July 23, 2026 arrest in Milwaukee and a leave that CBS began on July 31. The key dates from public statements and records:
- July 23: Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped Romo on southbound Interstate 43 and arrested him on suspicion of operating while intoxicated (OWI), according to the sheriff’s report as relayed by news outlets.
- July 31: CBS placed Romo on leave from his lead-analyst role and named Watt to join Nantz and Wolfson during his absence.
- August 11: CBS Sports president David Berson said at a preseason media event there was “no timetable or final decision at this time.”
- September 1: Romo pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI citation (details below).
- October 2: CBS and Romo announced the separation.
What did Romo plead to, and what did he say about it?
On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Romo pleaded no contest to a first-offense OWI citation in Milwaukee County, which Wisconsin law generally treats as a civil matter rather than a criminal one. Reported court-ordered penalties are a six-month license revocation, an ignition interlock device on vehicles he owns, registers or operates, and an alcohol assessment. Outlets reported different fine amounts, so we do not give one.
In a statement posted that day, Romo described the plea as one to “a civil offense for OWI in Wisconsin” and said, “I own this completely.” He also said multiple back surgeries left him in constant pain, that the pain led to a dependence on pain medication, and that his efforts to get off those medications led to an over-reliance on alcohol, adding that none of this was an excuse. Those are Romo’s own words about his own situation. We report them as he shared them and do not interpret them. In that statement he also referred to a return to CBS in time. Neither October 2 statement discusses reasons for the separation.
Why did CBS and Romo part ways, and what about his contract?
Neither CBS nor Romo has said why, and neither has disclosed financial terms. Both statements are short and do not mention the arrest, the plea or the contract. Some media reports have cited contract values and a settlement. Because those figures come from reporting rather than from either party, and accounts differ, we leave them out. Opinions about the reasons are commentary, not confirmed fact, and we do not treat them as such.
What happens next for Romo and CBS?
Romo says he is taking a break and no next job has been announced, and CBS has announced nothing beyond this season. As of the afternoon of Friday, October 2, 2026, CBS’s statement covers only “the rest of the season,” and we have seen no announcement about who will be CBS’s lead NFL analyst in 2027. Romo’s statement names no new employer and gives no timeline. We will update this page if either side announces more.